


keep these flutters in check

by fairydustedtheory



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Fluff, M/M, POV Stiles Stilinski, Pumpkins, Stiles Stilinski Has a Crush on Derek Hale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26912464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairydustedtheory/pseuds/fairydustedtheory
Summary: There's a hot guy in the pumpkin patch, Stiles' mission is to sell him a pumpkin and not to fall in love.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 36
Kudos: 307
Collections: A Very Sterek Fall 2020





	keep these flutters in check

**Author's Note:**

> Written for A Very Sterek Fall 2020.  
> 
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://fairydustedtheory.tumblr.com/tagged/plot%20twist%20:%20i%20write)
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

There was a loud obnoxious crack in the background, followed a burst of laughter from children and a couple of mumbled curses from adults. Stiles turned around to see a large pumpkin cracked open on the ground. It had already been paid for and could probably still make a delicious soup so he shook his head but didn't bother going any closer. 

Stiles imagined his day off differently. He imagined himself playing video games, ordering some junk food and letting the weekend pass him by in a blur. As a twenty five year old, Stiles wasn't always going to act like an adult okay, society could suck it.

Honestly, he imagined himself doing anything but this.

The thing was that Scott had volunteered both of them. There was something about Scotty when he wanted to impress a girl, he would be willing to do anything. He was such a good puppy. The only problem with that was that he couldn't seem to commit to doing things all by himself.

'You know, in case she doesn't like me back, at least we can still have some fun !' was the explanation Stiles had gotten. Stiles felt like the second best option here. He loved Scott, sure. Scott was his best friend, he couldn't not love him. That brotherly love didn't go away, even right now when he just wanted to strangle the guy for leaving him here. Because, of course, Kira liked him back and of course, the fact that Scott had signed up to volunteer as a farmhand for the day had been so incredibly hot that as soon as she saw him with his gloves and muscles straining to carry a heavy pumpkin, that had been enough. Now they were off somewhere, probably making out in the corn field while Stiles was still there as a forced volunteer, helping families and children with their pumpkins of choice.

He watched as SUVs after SUVs drove in the nearby field rearranged as a parking lot for the day. Kids after kids came running through the open field of bright fall colors; Ecstatic to find the perfect gourd, ecstatic to run around wild and free and ecstatic for the upcoming Halloween festivities. Everywhere children talked about what costumes they were going to wear and how many candies they were going to get.

Stiles could appreciate the excitement of it all. He remembered being a kid, remembered coming to pick the perfect pumpkin to carve for Halloween. He had grown obsessed with the process of it all to the point where as soon as September rolled around he used to only talk about pumpkins, pumpkin carving, pumpkin tradition. Everything pumpkin.

Needless to say, all the gathered knowledge was coming in handy today. He had no problem making small talk or even very specific talk to his customers. A couple of times he went into so much details that he left the customer staring at him with their mouths slightly open because apparently they never needed anyone to guess the approximate number of seeds in their pumpkin. It was a gift really, to be able to talk the ears off of anyone on any given subjects and it was all the more fun if that subject was anything even just loosely related to Halloween.

All in all, everything felt in season as far as Northern California could go. The chill wasn't as noticeable as it would be in Vermont or anywhere actually in the North. No leaf peeper here. What they had was the spirit, a desire for pumpkin spice lattes, a field of pumpkins waiting for their next adventure and people deliberately choosing to wear the colors of the season. Everywhere he looked were colorful sweaters, brown, red and orange, a yellow scarf, a couple of beanies which were just a little too hipster to be for warmth on a sunny October afternoon.

Armed with his fanny pack stocked with bills and change, Stiles made his way from families to families, happily commenting on their choices and advising on the best course of action to carve or cook these orange wonders. He helped carry the larger ones, always followed by a flock of children carrying smaller ones. Nobody ever took only one pumpkin. This wasn't like the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. This was a pumpkin patch and that meant volumes, that meant porches filled with white, green and orange. This meant Halloween was on its way and Stiles was here for it.

Halloween was probably his favorite holiday. It wasn't Thanksgiving or Christmas when even with the years passing and all his dad's best efforts, they could never quite get the mood right. Not since his mother died. There was always just a hint of sadness somewhere, a sense of nostalgia for something that would never be the same. It wasn't Valentine's day either when all his friends were very much in relationships and Stiles was left as the pity third wheel on date night or just saved himself the trouble and stayed home to eat a pint of ice cream while binge-watching Bridget Jones movies.

No, Halloween wasn't tainted, it was light and happy. Nothing was missing.

He looked around for a new customer to help when his eyes landed on a tall dark figure. The guy had his back turned to Stiles, but there was something intriguing about him. Maybe it was the black leather jacket that made him stand out of the crowd, Stiles felt pulled to him for some reason.

As he was about to step forward, he was interrupted by a lovely grandma who asked him to put her pumpkin into a paper bag. She complimented him on his beautiful eyes, making him blush more than he should in front of an 80 year old. That was the fall vibe, Stiles was hoping for. That it came from a grandma was just a tiny bit disappointing. If the universe wanted to send Stiles some twenty-something or even thirty-something with the same appreciation for the fall and happened to find Stiles beautiful? Heck, he would gladly accept. Sadly, yeah, an eighty year old, no matter how sweet, was just a little out of his league.

She proudly slipped in his hand a neatly folded paper with her famous family pumpkin pie recipe. He promised he would try to do it justice. He stood there a minute, smiling as he watched grandma slowly make her way back to her car.

Stiles wasn't so mad Scott forced him on this volunteer gig after all. He quite enjoyed himself.

The afternoon flew in a blink, small kids telling him all about their plans of carving, painting faces on their pumpkins, mothers telling him about the roasted seeds, the creamy soups, pumpkin pancakes. Stiles loved having a glimpse into people's lives like that. 

Squashes and pumpkins were measured and weighed, money exchanged as much as were greetings and smiles. Most people were in and out in a matter of minutes.

All the while, Stiles kept glancing back at that man randomly walking through the field with seemingly no plan of picking a pumpkin. What the hell was he doing here? 

The small stall near the back of the barn started brewing coffee. The scent filled the air carried by the October breeze. Stiles looked around as people quickly made their way to see the display of caramel apples and pumpkin shaped cookies that were slowly being placed on the display. Scott was really missing out. Too bad for him. Kisses in a corn field could never compare. Stiles wasn't jealous at all.

It was Stiles' professionalism, and only Stiles' professionalism, that made him step forward toward the leather jacket. Stiles wasn't ridiculous enough to fall in love with the back of someone's head. He was desperately single but he wasn't desperate. 

Stiles was just very invested in making today the best pumpkin day for everyone, including this stranger with the very attractive back. As he came closer, Stiles could guess the outline of the muscles of his shoulders in the stretch of the leather. And alright, maybe Stiles' mouth felt suddenly a little dry. 

It was just that Stiles had eyes and if well-defined muscles were to be seen, he was going to see them. No underlying meaning to it. Stiles was definitely not wishing for kisses in the corn field. He wasn't that stupid.

He walked over some squashes to get to the guy and it became very clear to him that Stiles' heart was right to not flutter as easily as it used to. Damn, Stiles had been a romantic when he was younger. His teenage years had been filled with plans to woo his crush and all the dreams of a lifetime of happiness and love. He still had some of that in him, he couldn't shake it off but his tiny beating heart had gone through a couple - more than enough - heartbreaks. Not all of them had been romantic, some had been platonic but they hurt all the same. He didn't want any of that bullshit anymore. If Stiles was going for something, he was going to be sure of himself. He was going to be all in. It would mean everything.

So he knew better, he knew to keep these flutters in check.

And oh boy, was he right this time !

He finally saw the mysterious stranger in question up close. Stiles realized that Tall Dark and Handsome was indeed tall and dark and handsome, with a very desirable stubble which probably felt like heaven on someone's skin, but he also was faced with the absolute certainty that the someone who had access to this scratchy heaven was not meant to be him at all.

Tall Dark and Handsome wasn't just tall and dark and handsome, he was also carrying... a baby. Yes, a very shiny newborn bundled in a winter overall with ears on the hood. The whole thing, from the the guy's stubble to the fluffy pointy ears was ridiculously cute.

Hot Guy was somehow even hotter now. It was just math, if a kitten, a puppy or a baby was to be added to an attractive guy, the attractiveness just flew off the charts. It was just science. A rule of the universe once again proven right as the guy looked down and murmured something to the baby pressed up against his chest. He leaned down to softly kiss the baby's forehead. It was so overwhelmingly adorable, Stiles could barely breathe.

Shit, Stiles' heart did some flutters then. He was only human. He had never known he had something for dads. Today was just full of discoveries. He apparently had something for dads, hot dads with babies, a DILF kink.

"Need any help ?" Stiles asked, his throat feeling tighter than before. "Cute baby." He couldn't help but add. It was better than saying any of the other things filling his brain right now. Oh God. Why would the universe be so cruel? Stiles was screwed.

"He is." Hot Guy answered with a polite smile.

"Are you here for a pumpkin or twenty ?" Stiles tried again. The guy couldn't possibly be here just to taunt Stiles with his beauty. If Stiles was supposed to suffer in front of such hotness today, at least he was going to sell a fucking pumpkin. 

Hot Guy frowned. "His mom wanted him to experience the Fall. I don't really know what he can experience when he doesn't even see colors yet."

Stiles shrugged. "When a mom tells you something, you do it, pretty sure that's in the Constitution." Stiles grinned when he saw the roll of eyes he got in response. He was good at making small talk. "You know, red is the first color babies see. Don't ask me how I know that, I just spend too much time browsing the internet. What I'm saying is your wife isn't wrong, experiencing the fall is a great activity for an infant. Though obviously I'm a pro-Fall guy because, look at me, I'm working here for free on my day off !"

Hot Guy's eyebrows danced a little on his face in a silent conversation that Stiles couldn't quite understand. He wasn't fluent in eyebrow language. He was the sarcastic and sassy one in all his relationships : with his dad, with Scott, with any of his past girlfriends or boyfriends... He never had to learn the sarcastic eyebrow twitch until today.

He sort of wished he knew how to understand everything going on on this man's face though. He sort of wished he could know him.

Stiles pulled his eyes away. He rubbed the back of his neck in an awkward gesture. He might not be so good at making small talk after all. He had babbled a little too much and let his mind wander a little too far. He should just leave, find another grandma, find another kid, anyone excited to be here, anyone in need of help for the perfect pumpkin. Anything.

Stiles shouldn't stay here and stare at a young dad with a baby. He shouldn't torture himself. But was it so bad to stay ? Was it so bad to rejoice in the beauty of nature ? The beauty of the world, really. He had never seen someone so aesthetically pleasing. It was a thing, alright ? Stiles deserved to see beautiful people for the sake of his eyes.

"So, uh, a pumpkin ?" Hot guy asked with a grimace, as if the word alone was painful in his mouth.

"Absolutely, that's truly necessary for your little dude. A pumpkin is a real staple in the experience of Fall ! There's no Halloween without a Jack-o-Lantern." Stiles shrugged, hoping his eyes weren't too obvious in the way he couldn't stop staring. "You could get a small one that he could use for a sensory activity ?"

Listen to him, Stiles could almost believe he had been around babies his whole life and not just reciting what he read that one time he couldn't sleep and somehow found nothing better to do but to read all the parent blogs available on the internet. 

Stubble Dude gave a small nod as Stiles walked by him down the path between the pumpkins.

"Oh no, even better !" Stiles shouted louder than necessary. He vigorously gestured to a stack of big pumpkins. "You could get a giant one and do one of these photo shoots with the baby inside the pumpkin ! Oh my god, yes. I require pictures being sent to the farm, that would be perfect for next year's banner. I'm an advertising genius !"

Stiles' flutters came back in full force when he heard the short breathy laugh coming from behind him. It was short but it was there, Stiles knew he shouldn't feel so proud to be the cause of it. Still, he wondered how wonderful would the sound of a real hearty laugh be, the kind of laugh that left tears in the eyes. He could bet this man would be even more beautiful.

Stop, Stiles, just stop.

He started talked excitedly about all the kinds of pumpkins. Pumpkins would keep this crush out of him, surely. He tried to focus on his job and not the mesmerizing colors of the guy's eyes. Only, they were looking at each other sometimes, so he couldn't help but see. That was all.

Every now and then, Stiles would catch these eyes glancing at him. They looked green at first but when the sun caught them the right way, they seemed to burst into a wonderful array of colors. Stiles would easily get lost in such pretty eyes if he let himself.

What was happening to him? He was stronger than that. Damn it. His heart wanted to go in some unwelcome territory, so he made himself focus on the little boy now sleeping in his sling, drooling a little bit on the soft material of the man's sweater. And if this wasn't enough to stop his marshmallow heart, Stiles forced himself to imagine Hot Guy with his hot black wife (just a guess based on this baby boy's skin tone), he imagined all three of them doing something ridiculously domestic... like... like eating a salad or something. Something not sexy. Nothing was less sexy than someone crunching on a lettuce... Stiles needed his chest to stop from feeling quite so tight.

Stiles talked, he talked about the pumpkins and about all the recipes he could think of, he almost handed the grandma's family recipe when Hot Guy seemed a little more interested in the conversation than before.

"Sorry. I'm rambling."

"I don't mind." Beautiful Stranger said simply. His eyebrows did one their tiny twitches but his eyes were kind so Stiles decided to believe him. He didn't feel too inadequate. The man's gaze rested on him just a little longer than necessary before looking away at the wide open field of pumpkins. His ears looked slightly pink in the late afternoon air. Stiles was starting to feel a little chill too. 

God, this man was handsome.

Stiles suddenly felt at a loss for words. He crouched down to examine the pumpkins at his feet trying to regain some composure. He was just here to sell pumpkins, not give himself emotional trauma with some stupid unrequited love at first sight. He didn't even believe in love at first sight.

He poked at one, tried to guess the weight of it. He needed it to be perfect. Because of reasons. It was a little stupid to want to impress a married man with his choice of gourd, but hell, Stiles had left his reasoning at home this morning.

He somehow lost track of time in his staring contest with the pumpkin, he almost forgot someone was standing beside him. Almost because it hard to actually forget when his whole body was trying to remind him that he hadn't been touched romantically in almost a year and there not two feet away was someone with whom he would very gladly rectify this travesty.

Stiles' heart jumped right out of his chest when Hot Guy spoke for the first time in a long while.

"I'm no expert but I think this one should do just fine."

The voice was clearly mocking. Was this man actually mocking Stiles' professionalism? Stiles stood up quickly, shaking himself out of his reverie and yeah, the small twitch at the corner of these lips was definitely there to mock him. That shouldn't be as attractive as it was. Stiles couldn't help it, he licked lips and imagined kissing that tiny smile off the man's face. He could almost taste it.

It was just a figment of his imagination when he caught the man's eyes glancing down at his mouth.

"Derek !" A voice called out from the parking field.

The man (Derek? He could be a Derek, that seemed like a name that could suit him) turned around, Stiles following the movement automatically. A young woman with blonde curls came running toward them, followed by a tall black man. Huh. Stiles narrowed his eyes.

"Oh my baby, my baby, my baby!" The woman almost chanted as she crossed the last few steps separating her from them. She quickly picked the baby from the sling hanging on Derek's shoulder.

"Erica..." He complained. "He was asleep. Don't come knocking on my door when he's fussy tonight."

"Shush !" Erica raised a finger and almost pressed it to Derek's lips. "I missed him and I need to sniff him. Boyd is nice but, ahhhh nothing compares to this !" She said sticking her nose in the crook of the baby's neck and inhaling loudly. The baby squirmed.

"She's a crackhead ever since she gave birth." The man who Stiles guessed was Boyd said when he finally caught up to them. "Thanks for babysitting." He added as he placed a large hand on Derek's shoulder. 

Babysitting ? Huh. Stiles' brain had a hard time putting two and two together. He stared at the scene unfolding in front of him with what he knew was the most quizzical expression he could muster. If his face said it enough maybe he wouldn't have to ask what the hell was going on here. 

"You..." Stiles shook his head quickly when it seemed clear that nobody was inclined on explaining anything. Thoughts were rearranging themselves in his brain. "You aren't married. You're not his dad."

Derek's eyebrows did their thing again, shooting upward in a way that made Stiles think that yeah he was actually an idiot. The biggest idiot. Oh no, he was getting the eyebrow language now.

Boyd chuckled.

"I'm going to get you all a pumpkin and then - oh my God," Stiles sighed loudly. "Are you single ?" He gestured at Derek.

He wasn't making much sense but his heart felt like it had been on a roller coaster the whole afternoon. He needed clarity. Plain and simple clarity. And he needed it now. He needed to know if he stood a chance, even a slim one, to have something, anything with this guy. His heart hadn't felt as gooey as it had today in forever. That had to mean something. Stiles really wanted it to mean something.

"Yes." The answer came from all three of them at the same time.

Stiles snorted, if he didn't know any better he would think they were all siblings. "Just so we're perfectly clear..."

"I'm single." Derek said, his voice warm with amusement.

"Oh thank fuck !" Stiles exclaimed. He could feel himself turning red, a dark blush on his cheeks and down his neck. He hadn't expected that to come out out loud. Too late now.

Derek smiled a real, genuine smile as blinding as the sun. Heart-attack inducing, that was what it was. It would probably be the cause of all of Stiles' future heart problems, if he was ever so lucky as to see that smile more than once.

"Would you – would you let me buy you a cup of hot apple cider or a pumpkin spice latte ?" Stiles bit his lip. He wasn't hoping for kisses in the corn field, he truly wasn't but his heart was already doing some sort of pitter-patter in his chest just at the possibility of anything. "I'm Stiles by the way."

"I'm Derek. Nice to meet you." Derek looked down at the ground. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket, pulling the sides to meet in the middle, over himself, now that the baby was out of the sling. The slow gesture felt somehow shy and self-protective.

"Flirting with cute guys ? That's what you get up to when you babysit our son for the first time, Der ?" Erica laughed. "Put the guy out of his misery and get yourself some Fall loving ! Come on, Boyd, let's go, this is ridiculous." She said grabbing Boyd's hand and pulling him along down the alley of pumpkins.

Boyd just shrugged and followed.

Derek, seemingly unbothered by his friend's comment, looked up at Stiles' from under his eyelashes, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"So, how about that coffee ?" Derek asked. "Is that – a date ?"

That, that was how Stiles died, killed by the butterfly in his stomach.

Erica was right, he did feel ridiculous. Still, he offered his hand for Derek to take. Stiles couldn't even hide the shiver that came over him when he saw Derek take his hand out of his pocket and felt Derek's fingers brush against his own.

"First of many ? I hope." Stiles whispered.

And yeah... it didn't take very long for Stiles to abandon his fanny pack to one of the other farmhands here today. He had other things, more important things to do. Things like learn the sweet sound that Derek made when he bit in a slice of delicious homemade pumpkin bread, or the way he blushed when Stiles caught him staring at his lips again. He hadn't imagined it the first time. So... what if he licked his lips a little more ostentatiously just to see if Derek could blush even more? Stiles wasn't going to let him down easy. The guy had spent the whole afternoon, if not pretending, at least letting Stiles assume he was a married man. He was going to make him pay in all the best ways possible. 

Stiles did get some kisses in the corn field at the end of the day. They were even better than anything he could have ever hoped for.

(It turned out Scott and Kira had been in the barn instead.)


End file.
